The work in progress. Posts have been set to the height of the 1909 flood.

For the inaugural international RMIT Creative Media Residency, the British artist, Jane Prophet has worked at the 1850s Swiss House in the small town of Avoca in regional Victoria, south east Australia. The house and its grounds reflect the hardship and rural struggle that is the companion of climate change, globalisation and drought. Counterbalance is an installation in the grounds of the Swiss House, using light and gravity in a response to the grounds as a site of climate change.



History
There have been two great floods recorded in the Shire since white settlement. The first occurred in 1870, and the most recent in 1956. The latter has been responsible for defining the boundaries of the 1 in 100 year flood levels. Flood waters converging upon the Shire remain spread out over the flat landscape for many months.

The Avoca Historical Society has this photograph from 1909 showing the land adjacent to the Swiss House and the street abutting the grounds. The 1909 flood can be seen over half way up this street. This is the level from which the highest flood level was taken for Counterbalance. The tinted red area is approximately the location of the light cable installation. The mid level was taken from the owner's memory of the 1956 flood, ad the lowest level was taken from the memories of local residents of floods in the last 10 years.